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Abstract Speed + Sound

Oil on panel with frame by Giacomo Balla (1913–1914). One of the most radically non-objective Futurist works, combining abstract depictions of vehicular speed and sound waves in swirling arcs and force-lines. The artist-designed frame is integral to the work. Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice.

Scholarly Significance

Balla's most radical non-objective Futurist canvas; key node for the Futurism cluster and abstract speed iconography.

Notes

  • ·Part of a series of studies Balla produced 1913–1914 analyzing velocity, light, and sound.
  • ·The artist-designed painted frame is an integral component — the work extends into its surround.
  • ·Anticipates pure abstraction and prefigures Op Art's visual kinetics.
  • ·Balla's other speed works include Dynamism of a Dog on a Leash (1912) and Speeding Automobile (1912).
  • ·Entered the Peggy Guggenheim Collection; permanently displayed in Venice.